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Technorati and Me

Technorati is indexing me again! They had to make a code change to fix
the problem with my blog getting stuck in their queue. Kudos to Eric M.
and the guys at
GetSatisfaction.com
where they have "community powered support for Technorati".

Well, they're "sorta, kinda" indexing me anyway. It's on a 24 hour tape
delay or something. So I never get picked up by Memeorandum because they
pull from Technorati and Technorati has stuff I posted yesterday
listed as my latest blog entry. And that's old news to Memeorandum.

Wankers.

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Influenza is rampant across the nation, and New Jersey is smack in the middle
of what local physicians are calling an epidemic.

Phew, for a minute there I thought it was a pandemic.

"It's here. Big time," said Dr. Thomas Birch, president of the medical staff at
Holy Name Medical Center. "When the virus comes into a community with susceptible
individuals, it will literally spread like those wildfires in California that
burn everything in their path."

The onslaught of the illness marks the first time in about a decade that
influenza is so prevalent this early in the year — 41 states are
reporting widespread flu activity. More than 2,200 people nationwide have
been hospitalized and 18 children have died, according to the federal Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eighteen children have died! Why hasn't Joe Biden convened a White
House task force yet? I demand a sensible germ control program!

So many people are sick that St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson
on Monday treated a record number of patients — 514 compared with about
420 it normally sees, said Dr. Mark Rosenberg, chairman of emergency medicine
at St. Joseph's Healthcare System, which has hospitals in Paterson and Wayne.

The city hospital admitted 90 patients, up sharply from the 60 to 65 typically
kept for treatment on any given day.

The flu is spreading fast — and it's virulent, doctors said.

"This has a ferociousness I've never seen before," Rosenberg said. This is the
worst I've seen as far as how quickly it came on."

Got that? Worst. Flu. Ever.

Better hide in a cave until it blows over.

OK, sarcasm aside, yes we should take the flu seriously. But overwrought
hysteria just scares the children. Last night Sophie went out with a friend,
and her friend's mom was glued to the radio reports, hushing the two girls
when they wanted to talk about something other than Death!, Doom!, and
Infection Vectors!

Scared the crap out of her, she did. Especially the tearful, wrenching
admonition to Get A Flu Shot Before You Die! Um, OK. Please don't
terrify the children. Thanks. Really. Sophie was pretty upset. "Am I going to
die, Daddy?" No, Sophie. We'll get you a flu shot. "Thanks Daddy! Can I have
a hug?" Sure!

This winter has been worse than previous years because of the type of influenza.
It's a new strain (H3N2) and few people have built up an immunity.

Uh, oh.

Physicians say it is not too late to get a flu a shot and this year's vaccine
is well suited to the strain they are seeing. The state's Department of Health
says the best way to combat the problem is by getting the flu vaccine, and
offers a
Find a Flu Shot Locator on their website.

Whew. There's a flu shot clinic right across the street. I'm saved!

The rest of you. Feel free to panic. Just not in front of my daughter, OK?